THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The massive screen in the movie room cast flickers of light across two silent figures lying on the oversized couch, Mia and Elena.

They were wrapped beneath a shared blanket, legs tangled, neither speaking much. The room was filled with the quiet hum of a romantic drama they had both agreed on without the usual back-and-forth. Popcorn sat forgotten on the center table, another half-empty glass of wine teetered on the edge.

They hadn’t laughed like they usually did, they hadn’t even argued over movie choices. Because the absence of two specific men weighed more heavily than either wanted to admit.

Then, the sound of the movie room door creaked open. Both women turned instinctively, confusion flickering across their faces. No one came in here. No one except…

Stefan.

Immediately Stefan walked in, Mia’s breath caught. Her spine straightened, and Elena shifted beside her, her body going still. Both pairs of eyes were locked on him.

He was dressed in black slacks and a fitted dark navy shirt, sleeves rolled just enough to show the edges of veins along his forearms. His jaw was shadowed with a day’s stubble, hair slightly disheveled from the travel.

Stefan’s gaze scanned the room, settling on Mia. “You’re awake.”

Mia blinked slowly, heart racing despite the neutral tone of his voice. “You’re back?”

He stepped in a little, just far enough to speak clearly but still near the door, as if he wasn’t sure how long he planned to stay.

“Yeah,” he said, voice calm, betraying nothing. “The client had something to take care of, so he cut things short. We’ll handle the rest virtually.” A blatant lie, but his face didn’t give anything away.

Elena sat up straighter, her eyes drifting toward the space behind Stefan, her expression tightened for just a second. Stefan caught it, of course he did.

“Mose stopped by his apartment,” Stefan said, his voice clipped, matter-of-fact. “He’ll be here in the morning.”

Elena’s lips parted as if to respond, but then she froze, composing herself. “I didn’t ask about him,” she said quickly, almost too quickly. In a defensive tone.

Stefan’s eyes lingered on her a beat longer than necessary, and a ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips, just enough for Elena to catch it and scowl.

He turned back to Mia. “Just came to let you know I was back.”

Mia nodded slowly, but her throat tightened. “When did you get in?”

Stefan reached for the door again. His back was to them now, hand on the handle. He didn’t turn around.

“An hour ago,” he said before pushing the door open and stepping out. Another lie, he actually just got back. When he asked his men they told him both she and Mia were in here, so he came here immediately.

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35 OKAY YOU DID NOTHING

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Click, he shut the door behind him.

Mia stared at it, a cold weight pressing down on her chest. An hour? She blinked rapidly. Why did it hurt that he didn’t come straight to her? Why did she care if he just casually strolled in here like nothing happened? She mentally scolded herself, this wasn’t supposed to matter. They weren’t anything other than business partners.

But, why did it feel like her chest was splitting?

Next to her, Elena kept her eyes on the screen, but her fingers tugged anxiously at the edge of the blanket. He didn’t even come here first…

They lay there quietly, their bodies still close, but minds adrift, each caught in her own swirling sea of emotions, longing, and unspoken disappointment.

The movie played on, but neither was really watching anymore.

The next morning, Stefan and Mose sat across from each other, cups in hand, the faint steam curling into the morning light.

Mose was saying something about the security team when the soft shuffle of footsteps pulled both their gazes toward the hallway.

Mia and Elena walked in, dressed simply. Loose sweatshirts, leggings, hair loosely pinned up. They had no makeup on, no flair. Just… natural. But even then, they managed to leave a lingering silence in their wake, the kind that made men pause.

They both offered brief greetings, polite but distant.

“Morning,” Mia said without making eye contact.

Elena gave a nod before they disappeared into the kitchen.

Mose watched them leave, brows raised. He turned to Stefan, arching a brow. “What did you do?”

Stefan looked up from his coffee, confused. “What?”

“If you didn’t do anything, then why did they just glare at you like that?”

“They looked at us the same way,” Stefan said with a shrug, completely unfazed. “Probably just a woman thing.”

Mose frowned. “Both of us?”

Stefan didn’t answer immediately. He looked toward the kitchen for a second, thoughtful.

“They’ll come around. Maybe they just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Mose gave him a skeptical look, then chuckled. “Right. Woke up mad at the same time?”

Stefan gave a shoulder shrugged like he didn’t care. They’d come around, he thought.

In the kitchen, Elena swatted at Mia’s clumsy attempt to sift sugar, as flour puffed into the air.

“You’re going to kill the batter,” Elena teased, holding back a grin.

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35 OKAY YOU DID NOTHING

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Mia rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky I’m even standing here. My skill set ends at boiled water.”

“You boiled water?” Elena gasped dramatically.

“I said my skill ends there. Doesn’t mean I’ve succeeded.”

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